The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shower door assemblies, and more particularly to a shower door assembly for permitting access to the water faucets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When bathing by use of a shower, normally, the bather adjusts the shower faucet control to achieve a desired temperature of water being dispensed, this operation being performed prior to placing ones body in the shower stream. In conventional shower or shower and tub installations, the controls or faucets are normally positioned on the wall, usually immediately below the shower head. Shower installations may vary with some shower stalls simply having a hinged door, of glass or fibreglass construction, while other larger shower stalls will have a pair of sliding shower doors. Sliding doors are likewise normally found in combined tub and shower enclosures with the sliding door assembly resting on the upper ridge of the tub. In any event, while attempting to adjust the controls to achieve the desired water temperature, the door to the stall must be opened. With the door thus opened, and some part of the body intruding into the shower stream, water impacting on the body is normally discharged outside the enclosure which oftentimes, in addition to the mess, causes a hazardous situation where one can slip and fall due to the water on the floor covering, which may be tile or linoleum or the like.
With the first advent of showers, shower curtains were normally employed such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,545,093 and 1,898,233. In the shower curtains of each of these patents, the shower head is disposed for discharging the shower stream downwardly rather than at an angle and the shower curtain is suspended to provide a cylindrical surrounding for the bather. With the bather already within the enclosure, the bather could then adjust the shower controls outside the enclosure by reaching through openings provided in the curtain material. While these devices had a degree of utility, the bather was already in the shower stream the temperature of which was being varied or controlled.
With the advent of built-in tubs, Landau attempted to provide a partial shower enclosure in a combination tub/shower assembly in U.S. Pat. No. 1,392,580. In Landau when using the shower, with the door of the shower-bath cabinet opened, one had to be within the shower stream to be able to adjust the faucets.
Shower door assemblies are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,778 issued Apr. 17, 1956 to Dietrich and U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,695 issued Sept. 16, 1958 to the same inventor. The first patent illustrates a shower door stall with a hinged door while the second illustrates a shower enclosure having sliding doors. In both devices, the primary purpose is to provide an auxiliary cabinet for retaining drying means such as towels on the exterior of the shower stall in a dry condition while permitting access from the interior after turning off the shower. Although these patents were uncovered in a search, neither device is configured for permitting access to the shower controls from the outside of the shower stall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved shower door assembly.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved shower door assembly having closure means in proximate relation to the water faucets for adjusting the water temperature prior to entering the shower stall.